Bio

My name is Ben Jacoby. I graduated from Cornell University in 2009 and I’m currently living in New York City. I have always been passionate about writing, and I’ve used it to explore many different career fields. I’m currently interested in Marketing, Advertising, PR, Publishing, and exploring the best city in the world.

What else?

I was voted most sarcastic in high school, and I didn’t show up for the photo shoot.

Oh, and I love stories. You can read my spiel about them below, if you want

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All writing, all communication, is storytelling.

Advertisements, for example, are speculative fiction. They tell a story called, “Your-life-with-the-product.”A story of a potentially happier you, whether they are promoting video games, anti-depressants, or body spray. A story of who you could be with their product. The advertisement needs to convince you it could actually work, this story could actually happen, like any good story should.

What about physics textbook?A physics textbook tells the story of how the universe works based on the theories scientists create. A writer picks and chooses the rules he wants to use based on how they fit reality too. A physicist can insist the sun revolves around the earth all he wants, but no one will believe him.

A writer can force his protagonist, who was a saint for the entire novel, to commit some grave sin for the sake of plot, but no reader would believe the character would do such a thing. No reader would believe in the author.

All non-fiction can be viewed as fiction, whether it’s a book on history, a biography, or a newspaper article. The facts the writer chooses to include, the specific perspective on historical fact he chooses to convey, are all plot choices he makes. If CNN chooses to publicize a string of murders over improved education scores in America, CNN is telling the story of the state of our country. What the media chooses to report and emphasize, what it chooses to emphasize, directly affects the tone of our national discourse.

It directly affects us.

And right now, I’m telling a story too. I’m telling you the story of why I have always loved and respected stories, and why it is important to tell good ones.